May 25, 2010

*That's an oxymoron, right? Whatever the case, in this instance it translates to GIVEAWAY.

While I've never endeavored to make my own tamales (the whole wrapping and steaming bit is entirely too involved for my limited attention span), I do like to eat them, especially when someone else is footing the bill. Boy, I'm not coming across as a gem of a person, am I? It seems like I want tamales to be made solely for me and paid for by anyone other than me. AND I want 'em NOW! :)

They even come wrapped like a present!

I kid, I kid. I think generosity has a boomerang effect--if someone's good to you, you should return the favor in some way if you ever want to be on the receiving end again. So with that in mind, I'm sharing my recent gift from CSNStores.com with one of you! Just leave a comment telling me your favorite number and why it means so much to you, and I'll randomly pick a winner to receive a $50 gift certificate from CSNStores.com to spend as he or she pleases. Comments will close when May ends (it'll be a bittersweet farewell), and I'll announce the winner on the first of June.

And hey--I'm serious about the number thing. If you get picked and haven't told me your lucky number, I'm picking again. I'm petty like that. Good luck!

My favorite number is 19. Whenever I was younger, I always pretended to be 19 in storytelling/imagination games we'd play (like Town, which was all the neighbor kids setting up pretend businesses in their driveways and the rest of us visiting and learning about their services). Once I turned 19, I rationalized that it would be the best year ever. It wasn't bad, actually. 19 is still my favorite number, now out of habit more than anything. It's prime, and fairly unique, and I use it to test numbers in fonts.

As for tamales, I'm with you. I can't be bothered to make them myself, but I will order them whenever I'm at a place that has good ones. Favorite tamales are traditional pork, and jalapeno and cheese.

Mmm. Tamales... I'll have to get somebody else to make me some for dinner tonight. :)

My favorite number has always been 5. For some reason I've always associated numbers with different genders and personality traits. I know, weirdo girl over here... 5 is handsome and charming and chivalrous. He opens your door and takes your coat and pulls out your chair--my kind of man!

Love the giveaway...and glad I'm not the only one who appreciates (and begs for) free/good food. Ok, my favorite number is 4. I gave birth to my fourth boy when my oldest was four. Now that a few years have passed, I can appreciate the fact that I am blessed with four little boys who give me at least four hours of laughter a day (the other hours, I'm usually pulling my hair out). :)

My favorite number is 11. Once when I was little I went to the state fair and I was absolutely determined to win this giant teddy bear. You know that carnival game with the water guns and you have to aim at the target? I played that game at least 5 times, switching guns each time. I finally won my bear when I played with water gun #11. And I decided right then and there that 11 was my lucky number.

There are some things I just don't want to make, and tamales happens to be one of them too!...I love eating them, I'm just too lazy to learn to make them. :)Free food is always a good thing-I love going out to eat, especially if at a friends house.My favorite number is 5, because there are 5 in our family!

I've never made tamales, but I'd like to to. It's on the list of things I keep saying I'd like to try making. My favorite number is seven because it's lucky, but for some reason, thirteen is also lucky for me.

Why 13? Well, my son was born on the 13th of December so that definitely makes it special for me. Plus I work on the 13th floor of a building and so far it's the best work situation I've ever had in my 10 year career.

My favourite number is 3 - groups of three things are good, the third time generally is the charm, and it's the number for pi if you round up. Also, it's the number of people in my family when I grew up.

I L-O-V-E tamales! I've been wanting to have a tamale party at some point.. I hear it's a lot less tedious and a lot more fun with a bunch of people working on them, assembly-line style. My favorite # is 18.. my birthday is on the 18th and it's also a special/lucky number in the Jewish tradition.

When I turned 8 years old, something about the shape of the number appealed to me. Also, I really was no longer a baby, and I was on my way to doing grown-up things. Shortly thereafter, I used "8" as my guess in various contests at birthday parties and what not that involved an adult saying "I'm thinking of a number from 1-20. Whoever gets it wins this giant lollipop." I won more often than not which was a thrill. As I started understanding numbers more and learned that the number 8 positioned horizontally represents infinity, the more the number resonated with me. Plus if you add up the numbers of my birth date, it adds up to 8.

Making tamales is something that can only be done by a group of at least 4, my lucky number. One person to prepare the husks, one to spread the masa, one for the filling and one to tie them up. Of course you need additional friends(with cervezas)for the fiesta.Mimi

I've never made tamales either, but sure would get in a long line for a good one!Nice giveaway, Grace!My fave number is 5. Years ago in a human dynamics class we were taught to calm ourselves by repeating a number mantra. 5 was mine....I still use it! It's better than counting sheep!

I was in Ensenada a month or so ago and our tour bus broke down right at a tamale stand. Serendipitous! I was never a big tamale fan, but WOW ... those were super yummy! Now I hope to start making them - thanks for the help!oxoxoxxDenalee

I love tamales but have never made them myself. I want someones mexican grandma to teach me how :)

I have two favorite numbers....9 and 6 (I wrote them in that order so they wouldn't get confused with another meaning LOL). when I was a kid my friend and I spent many weekends playing The Game of Life. And you took your play money and put it on 2 numbers, spun the wheel and won more money if the dial landed on one of your numbers. I always won. Talk about Free Money! hahahaha

I agree that tamales are way delicious! And too challenging for me to make! So I only have them while out.And my favorite number is 5, I was married in May (5!) and besides that I just like it.ThanksTammy Stlstickland (at) comcast (dot) net

I think that I've been deprived all this time...I've never eaten those tamales. You can be darn sure...the first time will be in a restaurant. I do need a break sometimes;0) Don't we all?Alright...Lucky number = 10...for the number of years we abandoned travel in order to pay our mortgage in the smae amout of time!Then, we celebrated with a very fancy cruise;o)Thanks for your generousity and flavourful wishes, Claudia

I'm not sure why but my favorite/lucky number as a little kid was the number 2. Somewhere around the age of ten I realized that the number "22" had two 2's. So it had to even luckier right? Since then, it's always been the number 22.

As for tamales. I love the holidays when folks around here make big batches and bring them to work for sale.

I've made tamales once. They were fabulous and totally worth the effort, yet somehow I haven't been able to psych myself up to make them again. What's up with that? I put them on my menu at least twice a year, but always bail.

I don't really have a favorite number, so I'll go with 22, because I have 2 kids and I was married on the 22nd of April in 2002. That's a lot of 2s, isn't it?

My lucky number is 13, because when I was a teenager, I had a bad car wreck, my cousin and I were shook up, but not hurt. It was on Friday the 13th, but also Good Friday. We were so blessed that day. My favorite number is 7, my daughter and son were both born on the 7th. Love home-made tamales, but I've never made them. :)

Your tamales remind me of my time in Arizona, brings back such fond memories!Don't enter me (not telling my special number, lol) but I want to say that it's a super thing to share your gift certificate, you are very special Grace!

i'm with you on the whole wrapping of the tamale. i mean i like them and all, i don't normally order them when we are out, but i jsut think they are kind of boring. now now if i move back to cali, i'm sure i'll get some done right and change my mind. but for now, nahhh, i mean they are a lot of work and all that waste in wrapping--i can see wy you'd lose your attention in it.lucky number? 11 why? love how simple is and looks.

my favorite number is 8. We were a family foseven plus one more that we 'adopted' even though Kas was over 50! We called him "number eight." He's gone to heaven now but will always be our munber eight!